Do you have hearing loss associated with gun fire?

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
That woman has no clue, I imagine she has never talked to a door gunner or a mortar humper in her life.

My father was a fighter pilot in two wars and between the radio and the guns he couldn't hear himself fart.
 
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nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am ashamed to admit it but I was careful all my life about wearing hearing protection on the range and let hunting with a brake damage mine considerably. Nothing but carelessness, but that is the truth.
 

TravisLH

Old Mossy Horns
23 months in Iraq in the Infantry..... You could say ive had a little hearing loss thanks to boom sticks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Zombie

Old Mossy Horns
Yep. From being an idiot and not always wearing hearing protection when shooting...also my trip to Carolina Rebellion didn't help any, lol

Sent from.......wait....where am I?!
 

lbksmom

Banned
Yes, between hunting and the military at age 47 I got hearing aids from the VA that has been 16 years ago. Also loud music, lawnmowers, chainsaws, hairdryers and the likes all contribute to hearing loss. Be smart wear ear protection always.
 

THHEAT

Twelve Pointer
I have some significant loss of the higher pitch noises. When tested I found it probably occurred as result of a lack of /poor quality hearing protection when I first started my career as LEO and shooting .357 revolver on a regular basis.
 
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Eggman

Twelve Pointer
WHAT!!! Did you say something???? My wife has shot less then a box of shells in her life but she never hears anything I say!
 

grim reaper

Ten Pointer
Have a constant ring in one ear that never goes away, mainly from duck hunting. I've tried hearing protection but harder to communicate with my hunting partners and call. winds tend to create a static sound in electronic muffs too
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yep.... The duck blind is prob the worst. Most of my rifle and pistol shooting has been protected.

The worst I ever had was when I got paired up with a wheelchair-bound hunter in a dove blind. Great guy, but he swung on some birds, and my ears were ringing for weeks.

I use the electronic sport muffs now. Best of both worlds.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
I failed the hearing test twice at work.....they claim its from shooting guns, well thats better for them than saying it happened at work.
 

josh

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I believe I do have some hearing loss already noticeable and am only 26. I don't know if it's natural, hereditary or from unprotected gun shooting but I have become cautious of it and do not shoot without hearing protection with the exception of single shot deer or turkey hunting. That may need to change though. I even wear hearing protection mowing or weed eating now.
 

Jlewis74

Old Mossy Horns
Yup, it has been 3 years since I have not had ringing in my left ear due to a dumb shot with out my hearing protection.
 

Speed1

Eight Pointer
Of course, wish I had used ear plugs. Theres no telling how many rounds my poor ears have heard with no protection. Constant ringing, all the time, you young whippersnappers better put the plugs in.
 

Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
I believe I do have some hearing loss already noticeable and am only 26. I don't know if it's natural, hereditary or from unprotected gun shooting but I have become cautious of it and do not shoot without hearing protection with the exception of single shot deer or turkey hunting. That may need to change though. I even wear hearing protection mowing or weed eating now.

Wear protection!!! Think of it kind of like condoms. Don't pick and choose, think it's just going to be a little while, a few times, he/she looks OK. I got a 12 gauge at 12, had a 410 prior to that, and have had many many guns go boom. And farm equipment has added to it. Had a hearing test done at 21, and the lady asked me if I hunted and was right handed. She was correct. 53 now and my wife has been telling me for a few years I need hearing aids. My mom, too. Once the damage is done, you don't get it back. When I was "coming"up, hearing protection was not really a concern. I have been wearing hearing protection over the past few years, but it may be moot.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
The older I get and more I spend in one of the most dangerous industries out there, the more ppe I wear. Don't have any loss yet according to the tests but I always wear muffs at work and ear plugs when I shoot.
 

ellwoodjake

Twelve Pointer
I've had several hunting beagles go deaf by the age of 10-12. When they can no longer pack to the others, I retire them to yarddog status. It's strange to see the pack run a rabbit right behind my hedge and granny never look up. Once while waving to get her attention to come to the food bowl, my wife told me "you and your buddies might wanna think about what you're doing to your own ears" I looked at her and said "huuh?"
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
Between years of shooting without ear protection in my younger days, years of running chainsaws, and years of standing in front of a Marshall half-stack and drum riser playing in rock bands, I have had constant ringing in my ears for years.
 

DC-DXT

Twelve Pointer
I failed the hearing test twice at work.....they claim its from shooting guns, well thats better for them than saying it happened at work.

Typically hearing loss contributed to guns should be the ear opposite your shooting shoulder (shoot right shoulder, loss in left ear). Work related hearing loss should typically be somewhat consistent between both ears. Does your employer have any noise exposure/monitoring results (either personal noise monitoring or area noise) for your job title, work area, or department?
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
WHAT!!! Did you say something???? My wife has shot less then a box of shells in her life but she never hears anything I say!

Egg, I think that happens to ALL wives, and the cause of it is the sound of "I do" in the wedding vows.

Best I can tell, my hearing is about the ONLY sense I have that works well (excluding common sense). I developed a ringing 10-12 years ago and had it checked out. My hearing was fine. Finally deduced it was sinus problems that produce the ringing. I always use muff when target shooting or skeet shooting, as well as when I'm on a lawn mower. I do not wear anything while hunting, however.
 
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appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
I'm 29 and can't hear nearly as well as I should.
Growing up I used plugs when plinking but never crossed my mind to use when out hunting. 22s shotguns rifles.

Bout 10 years ago I shot a bear in a rock hole and my ears didn't stop ringing for a month or two.

Then last year I shot a deer with 300wm with my back up against a little cliff and felt like my ears were gonna bleed. That lasted a while.

This year on a duck trip in TN I managed to wear muffs the entire 3 days except for one flock that surprised us while I was eating a biscuit.

10 guns unloading at one time still has my ears ringing and that was in December.
 

KTMan

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
My father always advised me to wear hearing protection. He can't hear squat and now wears earring aides. I'm 47 and struggle with hearing. Sometimes its almost embarrassing and almost always frustrating. I've advised my son to not be like me but he is hard headed as his dad.

Communication sucks wearing hearing protection while in the field. To me it seems like my coordination is not the same when wearing hearing protection.
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
In basic training long long ago, we had a kid drop his live grenade in mid throw. It hit the ground and rolled into the little ditch that was there for that reason. The DSGT dragged him into the next cubby hole and screamed for the rest of the line to cover. We all did but that boom put several of us in the sick call line that night, my ears have rung every day since.
I started wearing ear plugs {most of the time} at work in '72 and have used them regularly since for target shooting and most long range hunting [I had a 7mm STW for awhile to teach me that] and for outdoor power products.
To all the whipper-snappers out there, wear the PPE or pay the price of not being able to hear a distant gobbler when your hunting partners can easily hear him holler.
 

1SHOT1KILL

Old Mossy Horns
33+ years in the infantry and field artillery, shooting everything from M16's, M4's, M60's, M249's, M240's, M2's, on up 105mm, 155mm, and even 203mm howitzers, they have done a number on hearing. With the small arms stuff, I always used issued ear plugs, but with the FA pieces, I used my fingers. Then again, the numerous IED blast I was exposed to in Iraq didn't help none either. I've lost about 80% in my right ear and 50% in left ear. I wear hearing aids now courtesy of the VA. I would love to be able to use silencers on most of my firearms.
 
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